So-called 529 education-savings accounts are big winners in the recent tax overhaul, thanks in part to new curbs on state and local tax deductions and a change allowing assets in these plans to be used to pay elementary and high school tuition.

After vowing for years to repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax, Republicans decided to keep a version of it in the Senate tax-overhaul bill. If if passes, it will increase what many individuals owe Uncle Sam.

Under current law, alimony payments are deductible by the payer and count as income to the recipient, but the tax bill from the House of Representatives includes a provision repealing the current treatment of alimony for divorce agreements signed after 2017.

New York, New Jersey and Connecticut give more per resident to Uncle Sam and receive less back than any other states. Their residents will also be hit hardest if Republican lawmakers in Congress repeal all or part of the deductions for state and local taxes.

High-earning American taxpayers are likely to benefit from a significant rate drop for capital gains in 2017. That’s because major changes are likely for taxes on individuals’ investment income next year, when Republicans will control both the White House and Congress.

Even if you make hundreds of stock-market trades a year, that doesn't automatically make you a trader -- at least in the eyes of tax collectors. And that means you wouldn't be eligible for certain breaks that traders can take.

About 47,000 people had a net worth of $20 million or more in 2004, the latest available year, according to new IRS estimates. That's up 62% from 29,000 in 1998. Plus, more findings from IRS data on the nation's upper crust.

While Americans are focusing on the presidential race, voters in Massachusetts and other states will decide the fate of dozens of state and local tax and spending issues. Here are a few of the most high-profile tax battles.

If you're confused by the alternative minimum tax, you have lots of company according to a new report. Congress is expected to approve a measure this year designed to prevent the number of AMT victims from soaring.

Part of the housing-stimulus package recently signed into law could reduce the appeal of a tax-saving strategy used by wealthy home-hoppers. Many owners might not be eligible to claim the full exclusion on a vacation or rental home they convert to a primary residence.

If you often sell items on online auction sites, you may find yourself on the IRS's radar due to recent tax legislation. Here are tips for eBay entrepreneurs on how to protect themselves and their profits, while complying with tax laws.

For taxpayers in debt with the IRS, turning to a private company for help may backfire: The nation's largest tax-resolution company recently settled with 18 states over allegations that it misled consumers and failed to produce results.

As the presidential campaign heats up, investment and tax advisers are warning upper-income clients to prepare for higher capital-gains taxes no matter who gets elected. Here is a look at Obama and McCain's still-evolving tax plans.

Soaring property values in recent years swelled the coffers of counties and municipalities, raising calls for property-tax cuts. Now, even as foreclosures and dwindling home sales shrink local tax bases, a number of state governments are slashing or capping property-tax rates.

Many investors battling the IRS in high-stakes tax-shelter cases may take some hope from the government's defeat in a recent court case. But IRS lawyers view the decision as merely a temporary setback on the road to annihilating the badly battered shelter business.

Hundreds of Americans formally renounce their U.S. citizenship every year, many in order to protect their wealth from income, estate and gift taxes. But last week, Congress may have made life less rewarding for tax exiles.

As government officials intensify a multinational crackdown on offshore bank accounts, many wealthy Americans who use them to illegally shield income are facing a difficult decision: whether to turn themselves in -- and if so, how.

Look for Congress to revive several popular tax breaks and to shield people from being caught in the tangled web of the AMT. But it's unclear what some of the key details will be. As a result, many people may face difficulties with making tax-planning decisions in coming months.

Need help cutting through IRS red tape? In many cases, one of the best places to go is the Taxpayer Advocate Service. Its mission: to help taxpayers resolve problems and to identify problems affecting groups of taxpayers and propose changes.

The federal government this week began delivering the first wave of economic-stimulus payments. Here is a refresher course on the basics, as well as answers from the IRS and Treasury to a few of the questions that have poured in.

A new tax deduction this year will help some people who purchased and paid for mortgage insurance during 2007. Here's an overview of this and other major changes to tax forms this year and how they might affect your pocketbook.

Millions of taxpayers are asking what the economic-stimulus package has to offer them. Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions, based on interviews with government officials, accountants and tax lawyers.

The Supreme Court handed down a painful decision last week for many people who rely on trusts for income, ruling that investment advisory fees paid by a trust can't be deducted in full for income-tax purposes.

With stock markets up strongly -- gifts of stock, mutual-fund shares and other investments have jumped, several charity officials say. But in donating securities, as with most tax strategies, there can be pitfalls.

Many mutual funds are estimating that they'll make big taxable distributions to shareholders this year, and that means investors planning to buy or sell fund shares in the weeks ahead should tread carefully.

The IRS is stepping up scrutiny of a popular tax strategy used by real-estate investors. The use of like-kind exchange has surged as real-estate investors searched for legitimate ways to postpone, or avoid, taxes on big gains.

Some Americans working abroad are getting an additional dose of relief. The Treasury Department issued new limits on housing costs that Americans in foreign locales may deduct or exclude on their 2007 tax returns.

California will become the latest state to threaten tax delinquents with public humiliation, by posting names on the Internet. States that have launched similar programs say the efforts improve collections.

Many people who prepare their own tax returns make mistakes figuring how much of their Social Security benefits are taxable. Even experts agree the rules are surprisingly complicated. Here's some advice.

After years of strong tax-revenue gains, most states are in good financial shape. But prospects for widespread tax cuts are dimming as governors and budget officials brace for a slowdown in tax-revenue growth.